“Great, you left me hanging all day knowing his accusations were false!”
“I followed protocol,” Damian said.
“Protocol! This is my life. I have a child to support. I need this job. It isn’t a game to me.”
“This company isn’t a game to me either. This is my family’s life and livelihood! What he was doing needed to be dealt with. With the evidence you sent, you hadn’t been doing that, which on its own is damaging and today has shown why! Your lack of strength as a manager has put this company’s reputation in jeopardy. It’s not just about being great at creating ideas – any team member can do that. It’s about standing up when the going gets tough, and that goes double when the people are friends or peers!”
Star sat back, her voice tight when she said, “You’re right, I’m sorry. I should have dealt with Jackson months ago, but I thought it would calm down and it was just the initial sting of me being promoted over him. It’s only recently it’s got totally out of hand.”
“It’s dealt with, and he’s gone. Luckily his plan has worked in your favour, as the focus group results have been found. Now you need to get out there and get this ready for the client. No more mistakes, Star, or your career will be on the line.”
∞∞∞
The next morning, Star waited in reception for the client to arrive. Her team had set up the boardroom last night. She’d spent the evening going over everything in minute detail, and had rechecked everything again when she got in early this morning. She’d mailed the latest presentation to Damian late and he’d responded almost instantly. He’d been happy with the changes and positive about the results that had come out of the focus group study. This gave her added confidence that today’s meeting should go well.
Just before ten, Star’s heart began to pound and she felt someone’s eyes on her. Looking round, she saw Damian striding across reception towards her.
“Damian,” she said, horrified at how breathless she sounded, “is everything okay?”
“Fine, I’m here to meet and greet.” The colour must have drained from Star’s face because he was quick to add, “That’s all. The client is yours, but as acting CEO I’m set to greet all clients who come to the office. Don’t panic. I won’t be sitting through your presentation,.” The corner of his mouth twitched as he saw her discomfort.
Taking a deep breath, Star smiled, although it didn’t reach her eyes. She’d presented to this client, what felt like hundreds of times over the past eighteen months, but the thought of Damian watching made her feel sick. The effect he still had on her body was purely physical, but she didn’t need the distraction; her heartrate was already elevated! The swishing of the doors signalled the client’s arrival and allowed her to make a quick escape. Walking forwards, she greeted Matthew Morris and his team with a handshake.
“Mr Morris, welcome. It’s great to see you again.” Star plastered a smile on her face, although it was not difficult, as Matthew Morris and his team was one of the easiest clients she’d worked with. “May I introduce you to Damian Hunt.”
“Star, how many times do I have to tell you, it’s Matthew,” he said with a laugh. “Damian, how are you?” Matthew looked around, before asking, “Where is your father? I was expecting to see him this morning. I didn’t know you were gracing the London office with your presence.”
Star realised Matthew and Damian had history together. Not waiting for Damian to reply, Matthew said, “Star, I was one of Damian’s first clients when he joined the firm, right until the New York office snatched him away.”
Flashbacks hit Star as she now remembered all the conversations she’d had with Damian about Matthew’s sporting firm. Amazed she hadn’t put two and two together before, she simply smiled.
“Well,” Matthew continued, “not that I need him now I have you. And I must say, Damian, this lady is an absolute gem. She just seems to get what we need. You need to make sure you keep her, or the competition is going to snap her up.”
Star glanced at Damian. He was smiling, although tension seemed to have appeared around his jaw. Matthew continued his friendly banter all the way to the boardroom, where refreshments had been laid out.
It wasn’t long before Damian made his excuses and left. Star was glad to see the back of him. She didn’t need the additional worry; her nerves were already frayed, without him adding to it. Two hours later, however, Matthew Morris and his team were celebrating. They loved the presentation and the results from the focus groups had been better than they’d hoped. It was full steam ahead: they wanted the new marketing campaign to be out before Christmas to catch the festive season fitness market. Star could not help but cheer inside. She’d done it!
“This could skyrocket the company to the next level,” Matthew said to Star as she walked him out of the building. “Remember, Star, if you ever want to leave the stuffy coats here, then there is always a place for you at our table.”
“Thank you, Matthew, that’s very kind of you. I’m glad we were able to meet the needs of your company, but this really was a team effort,” Star replied, her heart still racing with adrenaline.
“Good leadership, though, Star, that’s what makes a good team,” Matthew said, and Star’s mind wandered to the previous day. She hadn’t been such a great leader then. But like with everything, you had to learn, and she really had. She’d never let anyone take advantage of her again.
After saying goodbye, Star headed up to see Pam to let her know that the presentation had gone well. The Account Manager who’d been in the meeting was over the moon, no doubt seeing pound signs being added to his bonus. Pam wasn’t at her desk, but Damian’s door was open. Knocking gently, she waited for an invitation to enter.
“Come in.”
Damian’s voice caused her stomach to contract and a warm flush spread over her body.
Damian looked up, his dark eyes studying her as she entered, his face a mask. “How did it go?”
“Good, really good. Matthew was impressed – they want the project to go full steam ahead for Christmas.”
“Congratulations,” Damian said, sounding less than impressed.
“Okay,” Star said preparing to leave, even though her body begged for her to stay, “I just wanted to say thank you for your input and with the Jackson issue. You were right.”
“Where’s Skylar’s Dad?” Damian threw out as Star reached the door.